Book review : Her Rebel Heart by Alison Stuart

Her Rebel Heart
by Alison Stuart

GENRE: #Historical-adventure-romance
STANDALONE

My rating: ★★★★☆
3.7 rounded up to 4

Easy read, light romance with a hint of adventure, no drama and happy ending guaranteed.

The setting is English Civil War but other than that there is no real historical information in the book, except perhaps the fact that the author was inspired by real women who endured a siege of their castle when their husbands were engaged in wars.

__ PLOT IN SHORT __ England at times of the Civil War.
Sir John Felton's two daughters are alone with the garrison in their manor Kinton Lacy Castle.
Deliverance is a classic tomboy who studies all the books in the library on war tactics to defend her home.
Penitence, a true beauty, is more feminine and is pining over her broken engagement to her neighbor and lover Jack Farrington, who now fights for the opposing faction, the Royalists.

Captain Luke Collyer and his men are sent from Gloucester to Kinton Lacy by the girls' stern father to help them resist the siege and save the castle and all the people living within the walls.
Luke has a certain reputation with women and the disheveled woman dressed in breeches, who does not want to give up the command, is certainly not his ideal type of woman ... and yet between one skirmish and another the two begin to collaborate and respect each other. The attraction and a strong feeling are a natural consequence ... but the situation is critical and dangerous, someone is betraying from within and perhaps giving in to feelings is not the wisest thing to do ...

_______________________


__CHARACTERS__ As soon as I read the names of the two sisters (Deliverance and Penitence ??? Seriously ? ... Awful !!!) and that Luke was considered a womanizer and she was rebellious and stubborn, I wanted to abandon the book... but since it was already the fourth that I started without then going on I decided to continue.
Horrendous names and two clichés that I hate... But fortunately the characters turned out to be more pleasant than what was my first impression and it was easy to grow fond of them.

I admit that all, but especially the two main characters could have been explored a little more, however when I finished my reading I realized that I missed them and that is exactly what makes me understand the grade I liked them and their story.

__LOVE STORY__ Hmm... Actually I would not recommend this book to those who read mainly romances because the whole story is a mix of various elements and the author does not focus mainly on kisses and meetings.
To be honest I liked this fiction precisely for that reason. Indeed I enjoyed the adventure and the twists (which however were resolved quite quickly ) and the love story developed slowly without being too sappy (which I hate and really didn't want).

---> It's a clean romance up to 80% of the book, then there's one sex scene (which seems a little out of line with the rest of the writing style of the book), but even if it's explicit it's not vulgar and it's described briefly, so nothing particularly steamy.

---> The language is clean and that's something I always appreciate.

---> It's a fast paced adventure, I never found a moment of lull and this helped raise my rating.

---> Not a particularly exciting novel that will remain engraved in your memory, but it's a pleasant read, recommended to those looking for an undemanding content and an entertaining read..

Thanks for reading my opinion and sorry for my English, it's not my native language.

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Book review : A Hussar's Promise by Griffin Brady

A Hussar's Promise
The Winged Warrior #2
by Griffin Brady

GENRE: Historical adventure romance My rating: ★★★★★
💖🏰⚔ Again 5 full stars really well deserved !

This is book 2 in The Winged Warrior series and just like the first one, it has been a wonderful gripping reading !

____ THE PLOT IN SHORT ___ Kingdom of Poland, about 1614.
The story of book #2 begins with Jacek Dąbrowski, captain of winged hussars, guarding a fortress on the border of the Kingdom of Poland, in a place that seems forgotten by God.
The truth is that Lord Eryk, once his commander, mentor and friend, married, under coercion, the woman Jacek loves and exiled him to keep him away.
Lady Oliwia is now the lady of the castle and lives among luxury and privileges, but far from the only man she has always loved, she feels deeply unhappy.
Fate, with the work of some very evil people, shuffles the cards... Jacek and Oliwia seem to have another chance... but here mocking fate and the wickedness of the villains come back into play...
_____________________________

While sequels sometimes prove disappointing, approaching this one, I had full faith in the author's abilities.
I was already completely invested in the story of the two main characters ( after "THE HEART OF A HUSSAR", read my REVIEW HERE) and I couldn't wait to see how it continued, as the first book ends on a huge cliffhanger.

This book could perhaps also be read as a standalone, it is fully enjoyable equally, BUT I ADVISE YOU, OR BETTER I BEG YOU TO READ BOOK 1 FIRST, not only because this will give you the opportunity to have a broader vision of the whole story and understand better every ongoing situation, but because you will be able to enjoy a thousand times more all the beautiful moments and all the wonderful love scenes that this sequel offers.

__THE ROMANTIC PART AND LOVEMAKING SCENES __
The first part of the book, in fact, is largely dedicated to the feeling of love, passion, devotion and making love.
The descriptions are extensive, but never vulgar and give the reader all the intensity that two lovers experience in their intimacy.
Everything is written so well that we can feel the heartbeat of Jacek and Oliwia, the thrill of their passion and the happiness that explodes inside their soul.
I admit that I never wanted to leave those chapters and I put many bookmarks, to reread those pages in the next few days!

Reading book 1 will also allow you to understand how strong Jacek's will is to overcome the thousand vicissitudes and adventures that will involve him in the second half of this book.

When I say that the story is "compelling", I am not exaggerating at all, the pace of the book is fast, at times almost frenetic and will drag you into a vortex of twists and turns that will keep you in suspense: bloody battles, ravenous plots on the part of greedy enemies, traitors and murderers and a psychopath killer, daring escapes and a long journey worthy of Ulysses' Odyssey.
With each chapter I longed for the solution to all the problems, I turned the pages reading avidly and just when I glimpsed the light at the end of the tunnel, the author managed to make me jump again.

___ ACTION, ADVENTURE and SCENES SO VIVID THEY APPEAR REAL ___ 
I don't know how, living in our times and not using images from a film, an author manages to describe fight scenes in such a vivid and detailed way, complete with all the thoughts and emotions that the characters are going through at that moment.
I believe that in addition to in-depth historical knowledge, it takes a great talent to be able to convey to the reader not only the scene, but all the sensations, positive and negative, that derive from it and I can say with certainty that the author, Mrs. Griffin Brady possesses both qualities (historical knowledge and talent in writing), because now I feel not as if I had seen a film at the cinema, but more: as if I myself had experienced every situation together with Jacek, savoring the fatigue, the fear , anguish, resilience, strength, anger, hope, jealousy, uncertainty and finally happiness.
Oliwia is no exception, she too will have to overcome unexpected and very difficult tests, which will bring out the strong woman within her and which, instead of sinking her, will make her increasingly combative and resolute.

Even the background where the scenes take place are described in an excellent manner with details that not only help us reconstruct the scene in our mind's eye, but we are able to perceive the smells, the sounds, the contact with the body, the lights, the shadows and all the sensations that come from them.
I have sometimes read books in which the overly long and detailed descriptions bored me or exasperated me, well, this is not the case.
---> The writer's style is fluent and engaging, to the point that now that I have finished the book, I already feel nostalgic for the characters and their adventures.


_____ CHARACTERS___ 
Book #1 begins with 22-year-old Jacek and 15-year-old Oliwia.
The story takes place over 4 years in which the protagonists grow not only in age but also through difficult experiences and sacrifices.
In this book we find them decidedly matured, more aware of their feelings and their goals.
Now both have the chance to take control of their destiny, but nothing will be easy and within reach, in fact evil people and traps continually hinder their happiness.
Only great willpower and the deep love that unites them will lead to a happy ending.
Of course there are also light moments, in which I love the exchanges halfway between jealousy and playfulness.

I love the 2 main characters and I love their friends too:

_ Henryk, Jacek's best friend, charming and a great lover of all women, but with a heart of gold.
I laughed every time he gets too close to Oliwia and Jacek wants to strangle him and yes, a couple of times I wanted to strangle him too, but in the end he always proves to be a deeply devoted and sincere friend.

_ Jacek's soldier-brothers, who make us breathe feelings of brotherhood, loyalty, camaraderie with funny teasing and laughter, but also sharing pain and mutual help in hard times.

_ I also really liked other supporting characters such as Oliwia's brother, who can't wait to grow up and become a soldier.
The faithful cook with a soft spot for Jacek, the good priest, Oliwia's personal maid... each of them contributes to creating a welcoming atmosphere in stark contrast to the villains always lurking and ready to strike treacherously.

__ A FICTION SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE? ___
Connecting to the villains just mentioned, it must be said that we are dealing with a disgusting slime-ball and a psychopathic serial killer.
There are not only deaths in battle, but a real premeditated murder and other perverse attitudes, which, although described without going into exaggeratedly gruesome details, could perhaps trouble the most sensitive souls.
So I would say readable for ages 16 and up.
_ The language is clean, the author manages to convey the idea of the contemptuous attitudes of rough and nasty big men, without actually using vulgar swear words.
I really appreciated it !!


___ The WINGED HUSSARS and the HISTORICAL PART ___
The main characters and their story are naturally the fruit of the author's imagination, but the wonderful heavy cavalry of the Winged Hussars really existed.
They were all nobles, trained in the use of many weapons since they were children. Many battles mentioned by the author and some character names were equally real.



----> THE LAYOUT OF BIASKA CASTLE is inspired by real castles (of which the ruins remain) Castle in the Eagles' Nest and Bobolice Castle ( look at the pictures below ).
---> At the end of the book you will find a small guide to real events and historical figures, castles and places.





---> You will also find a small dictionary for the weapons and type of clothing of the time and a small guide to the pronunciation of names and words in the original language.
---> ON THE AUTHOR'S WEBSITE (www.griffin-brady.com) you will also find a blog with many interesting articles about the glorious history of the Kingdom of Poland in the 17th century, the historical events that made it powerful and about the Hussars.
____________

Thanks for reading my opinion. English is not my mother tongue so I hope I have still managed to express my thoughts effectively and have done justice to both the beautiful novel and the talented writer.
I will definitely also read book #3 of the series, even if I will take a short break of about ten days to enjoy the happy ending a little longer, before diving back into the obstacle-filled adventures of our two favorites.

THE PREQUEL :
BOOK #1 "THE HEART OF A HUSSAR", read my REVIEW HERE

Follow me if you also want to read the review of book #3.
And here is the beautiful Jacek of my mind ( the beauty of books is also being able to imagine the faces of the characters ;-), none other than the handsome Henry Cavill (here very young in The Tudors)




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Book review : The Heart of a Hussar by Griffin Brady

The Heart of a Hussar
The Winged Warrior #1
by Griffin Brady

My rating: ★★★★★
😃A wonderful read: 5 full stars so well deserved !

It's an amazing historical fiction. An adventure romance so very compelling and I really think it's the best novel I read so far this year.

I would like to start by saying that I usually choose shorter novels (around 300 pages or a little more), but the setting, different from the usual, immediately attracted me and if at the beginning I started reading the first sentences, with the fear that I would bored because it was too long and too different from my usual readings ( historical mysteries and clean romances), I have to tell you that I was involved in the story from the very first page to the last one!

____ THE PLOT IN SHORT __ Muscovy, 1610.
Jacek Dąbrowski is a twenty-two-year-old Polish nobleman, cavalry officer of the legendary Winged Hussars, who dreams of gaining land possessions thanks to his valor and military merits.
One day, during a military campaign on Muscovite soil, then an enemy of Poland, he saves fifteen-year-old Oliwia and her little brother from the clutches of soldiers who were looting and razing a village to the ground.

Since the two young people are without parents and relatives, Lord Eryk, the commander, decides to take them to his castle where he will make them his proteges.

The return journey is long and Jacek and Oliwia, traveling on the same horse, begin to get to know each other and without knowing it, they lay the foundations of what will be a strong bond.

Between military campaigns and life at the castle, obvious rivalries and dangerous enemies hidden in the shadows, parties and courtships, passionate kisses, dreams and disappointments, this gripping story takes place over 4 years, until the moment Jacek realizes that the his dream has changed, but just at that moment fate plays a bad joke...

_________________________

__NOT A STANDALONE__
WARNING : FINAL CLIFFHANGER
__THERE IS A SEQUEL____
Before starting to read the novel, I read some reviews (all enthusiastic, but this sometimes turns out to be a trap because then I create too many expectations).
Thanks to the reviews I understood that the book would end with a cliffhanger__ something that I usually don't like at all__ but here I wanted to take a leap into the dark, because the setting and the subjects of the story, the legendary winged Hussars of Poland in the 17th century, intrigued me too much !
If we add that there was the tag #romance, my heart was already kidnapped.

(In the author's defense I must admit that she wrote this in the first pages of the book and the sequel was published only a month after the release of the first volume, because it was supposed to be a duology)
In my case I consider myself lucky to have already found a third volume which the author has decided to write in 2023.

___ ABOUT WINGED HUSSARS ____
They were a heavy cavalry formation active in Poland and in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1503 to 1702.
A distinctive feature of the Husaria were the "wings", wooden supports decorated with feathers, secured to their saddles or to the rear plates of their armour, which were intended to demoralize the enemy during a charge.
The hussars ranked as the elite of Polish cavalry, in fact they were all from noble families and they were raised since childhood to ride and to the use of many different weapons.

It has been very interesting to learn all these things about that military body and on a European territory of which I know little or nothing and of which I only know the fate of the post-war period of the 20th century.
I really didn't imagine that the Kingdom of Poland would be so powerful at that time.




___ BATTLES , SOLDIERS and TACTICS, ARMOUR and WEAPONRY __
What I didn't expect were the descriptions of battles, actions and military strategies, descriptions of weapons and traditional outfits of the time (both for soldiers and civilians) and I certainly didn't expect that they would fascinate me so much and that I would have found it very stimulating, really impressive.



I've read other books with battles and only the author Stella Riley managed to fascinate me, while other authors bored me deeply and if I had known before that there were so many battles described, I probably wouldn't have read the book... but I'm glad I didn't know BECAUSE THE AUTHOR DID AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB!!
Griffin Brady managed to combine all her historical and technical knowledge with the magic of fiction, creating within me great suspense, emotions and full participation in the scenes I was reading, as if a time machine had teleported me exactly there, in that place, at that time and with those people!

Each weapon, outfit and noble and military hierarchy was written with its original name and explained already during the story, BUT DON'T BE AFRAID OF GETTING CONFUSED,
for the reader's convenience, the author has also included a small dictionary for each word cited in Polish.
You will even find another chapter that will help you pronounce the names (after the first ten pages, everything will become very easy).

____ THE CHARACTERS __
Both the two main characters and the side ones are developed excellently.

We are able to see not only the physical appearance of each one, but also their character traits, their emotions, their thoughts, their aspirations and fears, their will to resist adversity and to conquer what they dream of.
The author managed to make them so intense that they seem real.

The dialogues are brilliant, often interspersed with short thoughts written in italics, which have the advantage of completing the dialogues and making the scene that the characters are experiencing vivid.

Some ironic banter between Jacek and his best friend Henryk or between the soldiers or between Jacek and Oliwia... give a light touch from time to time and entertains the reader.

___THE LOVE STORY___
as regards the romantic part, it appears just after 50% of the book, while in the first half some romantic premises are created, but the main characters are not exactly aware of it.

I admit that in the first half of the book, I was constantly wondering when the protagonists would fall in love and at a certain point I thought that the tag #romance was not appropriate for this fiction.
This was only for 5 seconds, because as soon as the two protagonists began to realize that they were attracted to each other, I was rewarded for all the waiting and the second part of the book is largely dedicated to the feelings of love of the two young people.
BUT NO BOREDOM, you will in fact find funny scenes, exciting scenes, you will suffer together with them and even more you will hope together with them.

___ JEALOUSY, INTRIGUE AND CONSPIRACY ___
In addition to the enemies in battle, the protagonists find themselves involved in difficult events, due to jealousy and presumption, envy and the desire for power and revenge, the arrogance and selfishness of some characters.

These situations create a lot of tension during the story, until reaching a climax that will determine definitive (or almost definitive) turning points not only for Jacek and Oliwia, but also for other main characters.

So the novel is compelling not only for what concerns the action and the romantic aspect, but also thanks to other elements cleverly inserted as a subplot.


---> Historical fiction SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE, even teenagers. ---> Despite the time period and the theme, the author managed to write the novel with: _ Clean language (or at most swear words which nowadays are not swear words) _ Sweet and romantic kisses _ Battles and deaths without gruesome descriptions


___ DO I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK? ___ yes, I recommend it 100% if you love historical fiction.

Don't be scared by the fact that you also have to read the sequel to feel completely satisfied, you will turn the pages one after the other, completely fascinated by everything that is told by the author and experienced by the characters!

I've already started reading book #2 and I can't wait to read #3 too.

___ THANKS FOR READING MY OPINION, I hope that my English, full of flaws (it is not my mother tongue), has not ruined too much of what was intended to be praise for this novel and my thanks to the writer.

THE SEQUEL :
BOOK #2 "A Hussar's Promise": read my review

_______________ A little off-topic:
while I was reading, my Jacek had the features of a young Henry Cavill ( picture from the Tudors ), because his description corresponds to dark hair, sapphire blue eyes and a frown in his gaze.
with the qualities of a great warrior and a man of sound principles that the writer gave him and the appearance of Henry Cavill, how could I not fall in love with him? 😉





...But those pictures below are my favorites, that's how I imagine Jacek when he turns lovely to Oliwia :

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Book review : The Marigold Chain by Stella Riley

The Marigold Chain by Stella Riley

My rating: ★★★★☆
Actually 3.5 rounded to 4 stars as historical fiction.
Only 3 stars ( or 2.5 rounded to 3 ) as romance.

__THE PLOT__ England 1666.
-->Chloe is a girl of about 20 who lives with her stepbrother, an aristocrat who spends all his money on gambling, alcohol and women.
One evening, having run out of money, he gambles his stepsister: if he loses, she will become the property of his opponent.
-->Alex, 30, was a Royalist soldier in the English Civil War.
He is very handsome and always ready with a joke and has friends who really care of him, but he has a bad temper and a disappointment in love leads him to alcohol and senseless actions.
--> One morning Alex wakes up after an incredible hangover and discovers that he is married to an innocent 20-year-old girl, Chloe.
They immediately decide to proceed with the request for annulment, meanwhile England goes to war with Holland...

***
The book is divided into 3 parts, of which I really liked the first part, cheerful and lively, it made imagine a romance full of funny scenes.


The second part, the central and broader one, was to me very disappointing.
Any romance there, no connection between Alex and Chloe, the 2 main characters of the story.
They are married but he continues his life as if she didn't exist and she goes about her life thinking about him from time to time.
When the author finally gives us a beautiful escape scene together, with a bit of action, a kiss happens.
It's half way through the book and it's easy to think that a little chills and emotion will finally arrive...Instead: nothing romantic again, at least until the 3rd phase (which begins more or less 75% of the way through the novel).
The historical part is well developed but didn't involve me.
There is a betrayal situation that the protagonists are supposed to discover, but I didn't find it so intriguing.
BUT THE MAIN PROBLEM TO ME WAS :

___THE HERO ___ So handsome, but an ass !
I only fell in love with the male protagonist at the end, in the last 25% of the book while in the entire previous 75% I couldn't stand him!
He was beautiful and charming in his laughter and ironic jokes, but very irascible and deeply selfish because he only thought about his disappointments and dissatisfaction and vented his bad mood in the bottle and on his friends, while they, his friends, always tried to get him out of trouble and acted always very careful to avoid to provoke him, so as not to make him angry.
HOW CAN YOU LIKE A MAN LIKE THAT?
...Of course we stupid women always love those wild and dangerous (and this makes me angry!) while the sensitive and polite men are trampled upon (but usually those ones are ugly... instead here in the fiction the good, sensitive man in love was also a beautiful one...but unfortunately the scoundrel always wins)

My dislike for this character, who should have been the hero of the story, not only didn't allow me to enjoy reading the book, but it ultimately left me with a sense of hunger for something that only began at the end of the book.
Yes, the real romance only started at the end of the book... and so I feel dissatisfied.
In the third part the character suddenly loses his bad ways and like a true hero works for the good of the city that is going up in flames.
We are in the middle of the second major fire in London (September 1666) and this time all the scenes described by the author fully involved me, making me feel as if I was really on the scene, there in that city, in that historical moment.
In the third part Alex feelings for Chloe change too...few chapters..the happy ending..but I feel dissatisfied..I want more!... but unfortunately I was at the END OF THE NOVEL!
I don't know if I explained myself well: imagine eating a cake and you feel that it's not as good as you would like, finally you start to like the last slice... but it's the last slice and you're left with that unsatisfied craving which is irritating!

_ CONCLUDING __ I've only read one other novel by Stella Riley ( A Splendid Defiance) and I was thrilled with it .
It doesn't matter if the love story burns slowly, that's fine too, but in this novel the hero was difficult to love from the beginning and above all there was too little of the two main characters together.
It would have been nice to have more emotions throughout the story: more intense looks, a shiver on the skin during a casual touch... more interest on Alex's part towards Chloe, not just at the end, instead the whole love story was flat and one-way for too long.

Even though it wasn't what I expected, this doesn't discourage me and I will definitely read more of Stella Riley's novels, because I think she's really good and I appreciate her writing style.
My review shouldn't discourage you either, because I gave my opinion based on my personal taste.
Remember though: very slow-burn romance and pages dedicated to history, therefore not suitable for those looking for hot scenes and only frivolous novels.

NOTE: I'm from Italy and so English is not my native language. Please, forgive any errors you may find in my text.




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Book review : Death in Delft by Graham Brack

Death in Delft
Master Mercurius Mysteries Book 1
by Graham Brack
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This book was proposed and voted on in my reading group of English authors, but it was already included in my wish-list for 2 reasons:

___ 1) I love historical settings in countries on the European continent different from the usual England (which I adore, but whose I read in most books).

__2) because I really like mysteries that include historical figures in the investigations, especially if they are people with particular talents (artistic, literary, musical, etc..., in this case also scientific).
I find that the book is written in a fluent manner, above all thanks to the irony and self-irony in the language of the main character, Master Mercurius, who is the one who tells us the story in the first person.

Before telling you my opinion (according to my personal tastes of course ), here is a short PLOT:
Master Mercurius is a young Catholic priest who lives in the guise of a Protestant priest, with the approval of his archbishop, in order to take advantage of a university scholarship.
Being recognized as an exceptional student of great intelligence, he is sent to Delft, at the request of the city mayor, to direct the investigation into the disappearance of 3 children, one of whom has already been found dead.
In this mystery the young Mercurius will be joined by 2 very talented people, both of whom really lived in reality and remained in history, one for his artistic talent and the other for his scientific discoveries and for the invention of the microscope, I'm talking about : Johannes Vermeer, famous painter and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, Dutch optician and naturalist considered the father of microbiology.

__ WHAT I LIKED IN THE BOOK___

-- The MAIN CHARACTER Master Mercurius :
The young priest, despite having taken orders twice, and despite having great faith and goodness of soul, is very far from the figure of the Church that we can imagine.
He is friendly, sociable, ironic and funny in his way of thinking and talking to himself and far from being a dull-witted bigot as often happened in past eras.

Mercurius also makes no secret of the temptations that touch his thoughts and how every now and then he would prefer to avoid the long and repetitive moments of prayer that are part of a priest's routine. Even confession is not one of his favorite tasks and it is fun to see how he approaches these "annoying" situations and duties.

The author so makes a three-dimensional and really enjoyable character, which we can also identify with.

-- The 2 MAIN SIDE CHARACTERS, i.e. Vermeeer and Van Leeuwenhoek.
The author included 2 historical figures that I, as a "non-Dutch", didn't know much about.

I knew what more or less everyone knows about Vermeeer: born in Delft in the 17th century, his paintings have great value today and one of the most famous is "The Girl with a Pearl Earring".

As for Van Leeuwenhoek I have to admit that I didn't even know his name from "hearsay".

Graham Brack told us some real notions about their life (which I then expanded with Wikipedia), but above all he gave us something that no Wikipedia or biography could give us: the warmth that is released within the walls of the house with the children running and they play, the wife and mother-in-law chat, the food on the table and the festive air you breathe sharing moments of affection all together.

The writer also gives us the humanity of a father who has lost his children and suffers from missing them, holding on tightly to what remains of his family.
We are given the enthusiasm of discoveries, that enthusiasm that humanity has when it discovers a part of creation that is mostly unknown to the multitude and also the enthusiasm that people have in feeling useful for a common goal.

I know it's a fictionalized reality, but that's the beauty of fiction!

__ WHAT I DIDN'T LIKED IN THE BOOK___

-- Of course I liked also the HISTORICAL PART concerning Holland in 1600 and the entire historical descriptive part of the society of the time, the way of life and the ideologies that defined the different communities of that time, but there was to much talk above all the problems and things related to religion.
Too many quotes in Latin (which in any case were then translated into English), too much digression on the settings of the religious things such as monastery life, the funeral and so on... all of this became boring in the long run.

-- The mystery itself was not engaging for me and although Mercurius' investigations are full of interrogations and testimonies, the plot did not provide twists that stunned me... there was a lack of tension.
Furthermore, perhaps I was expecting some action scenes, even small ones, but which would give a little more movement to the story...it was all too flat to me.

---- one thing then really made me angry: the ending.
WARNING SPOILER ___ MAKE SURE YOU WANT TO READ IT !___ I understand that a priest may not approve of the death penalty, but the fact that Mercurius lets the guilty person escape is just not acceptable!
The man had kidnapped 3 little girls, one was his daughter, taken from him unjustly, but he stole 2 other little girls from their parents, drugged them and one died!

That is justified by the fact that the little girl suffered from epilepsy... perhaps she would have died anyway, but perhaps not! Her parents suffered and she died far from them.
A CULPRIT DESERVES AT LEAST PRISON !!!
Drugging two innocent little girls and keeping them kidnapped because he had to find his daughter is not a justification.
______ SPOILER END___

Honestly I wonder what the hell the author was thinking when writing the end of this book...
I would have given it only one star rating, just because of this unacceptable end of the mystery.

Thanks for reading my review, of course every taste is personal, but I hope that it could still be useful for you to understand whether to choose to read this book or not.

Last note that I always insert: English is not my native language, forgive me for the errors that you surely found in my text!


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Book review : A Splendid Defiance by Stella Riley

A Splendid Defiance
by Stella Riley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 stars well deserved, I really loved it, it's an amazing historical adventure romance !!!

I finished the book this morning and I already miss it... I miss the characters, I desperately want to keep being with them!
Definitely the best book I've read in recent years (according to my parameters of course).
This book totally involved me from the very first page to the last one, I'm not exaggerating saying that, indeed there wasn't a single moment that made me feel bored, I couldn't put it down and I neglected many other hobbies of mine because I was so engaged by this book!

I will begin by saying that it is a historical novel, with 2 invented main characters and many side characters who really existed during the civil war in England (1642-1651).

It's a story that talks about war and love, but contrary to what one might think it's not exactly a romance novel, where everything revolves around love and you read hot sex scenes, which really doesn't fit into my genre reading ( like Diana Gabaldon or similar ).

The love story begins slowly and develops very slowly against the backdrop of battles, sieges, heroic and petty deeds, political compromises, the limits of the bigoted world of those times and the courage to assert one's ideas.

There are likable characters, with a good sense of humor who cheer us up in several scenes and there are narrow-minded evil characters who really make your skin crawl.

The hero and heroine are Justine and Abbie, they belong to 2 different sides of this war: he is a Royalist officer holding Banbury castle under siege, while Abbie is the sister of a local shopkeeper, a puritan, a fanatic and despot who makes life impossible to her.

WARNING TO THOSE LOOKING ONLY FOR ROMANCE : Our 2 characters meet only a few times in the first half of the book and this could be disappointing for those purely looking for a romance novel.
We actually see war events unfold, which I promise are never boring, but described in such an interesting and enthralling way that I also passionate about those moments ( you can believe me, battles usually bore me to death, but not in this book ! )
In the first half of the book we can see the 2 main characters lives, learning to get fond of them, savoring every little moment in which they meet and in which they gradually begin to get to know each other and develop a strong feeling of affection.

Justine is a fascinating young man, not only aesthetically, but also in his winking ways, in his smile, in his raised eyebrow looks, in his ironic and joking jokes with the other officers who are also his good friends and with Abigail, in his sarcastic jokes with despicable people.
Justin is brave and despite being young is used to fend for himself from the age of 16, we don't know his past until 3 quarters of the book, but we sense that he has wounds that are hard to heal.
Justin is brilliant and successful with women, but he is not a profiteering libertine, he is a man of honor, who respects others and honors his promises and for this reason he is respected and well liked by many.

Abigail is only 18 at the beginning of the book, she lives with her family, subjugated by her brother-master, she knows nothing of the world and she is not allowed any joy, not even a small one.

She has a one year younger brother who is also her good friend and accomplice, who will also be involved in the events of the war albeit in a different way from that of a soldier.
Given her background, it is obvious that initially Abigail is an insecure and fearful girl, but still with a great desire to live and to know more about life and Justin will open the doors to a new world for her where she can sing and dance without feeling blasphemous, where having beautiful hair or admiring a dress is not a sin, where there are also kind gestures and not just blows and prayers for forgiveness.
But from the caterpillar a butterfly will be born, with an ever strong character and more aware of what it wants and ready to fight, until the end, to get it.

A great love will blossom from mutual esteem and affection, not without difficulties and anguish ___ WARNING: SPOILER[ and I admit that every now and then I was afraid that there was no happy ending... but even when I realized it was going to end well, I had a beautiful final surprise and I really wasn't expecting it. ]____SPOILER END _____
Despite the difficulties and the tragic nature of the war, the atmosphere of the book is pleasant, as I have already said, there are dialogues in which the humor will make you smile several times.

The characters, even all those around the 2 protagonists, are all so well described, we manage to guess their way of being, we can imagine their faces while they talk from the tone of the dialogues.
The author is really very good both in describing historical part, both in making the reader immerse himself in the story, in the same rooms as those people.
I was able to see everything like in a film, I was able to feel myself inside that film, as if I were living there with all of them.

The slowness with which the love story develops doesn't take away anything beautiful from the book, on the contrary, it makes everything more sensual and when at the end we have a couple of sex scenes, everything is described in an intuitive, but delicate way, not at all a vulgar one.

***
This is one of those times I wish I was good at writing and conveying my feelings, it's a great book, but words just can't put it right.
-----> English is not my native language and that certainly makes my review even worse... Sorry

***
I hope I haven't said too much to take away the pleasure of reading, but it was also right to warn those who prefer more explicit romance novels, where the 2 characters would like to jump on each other from the beginning to the end of the book and where the historical context is only mentioned. Not so here.

Being Italian I don't know English history, I only knew that there was a civil war and a short republic between Charles I and Charles II, however I never found myself confused or lost in these facts, indeed it was nice to learn historical facts for unknown to me and then expand them with some web research.

Every now and then I find a book that I really like, which I'm sure I will reread and which I give 5 stars...
but no one has enraptured me like this one and if my favorites so far have had 5 stars I virtually give this one 10 stars.

It was my first Stella Riley book... I'll probably try others, but not right away, because the magic hardly repeats itself twice. :-)

The only problem is that now, any forthcoming reads won't hold a candle to it.

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